Former Islanders' Avalanche Stumble Into Elimination Hole

Colorado had the game in its grasp, and then the kind of collapse that makes a room go silent hit at exactly the wrong time. The Islanders connection gives this one extra juice, because teams built with familiar pieces are supposed to know how to survive when the stakes spike. Instead, the Avalanche are now staring at the kind of pressure that turns every line change and every defensive lapse into a referendum.